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Nano Bite: November 2013

Welcome to the November Nano Bite, the monthly e-newsletter for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net).

What's New?

→ Don’t Delay: NanoDays 2014 Kit Applications Due December 1, 2013
Ready, set, don't forget to submit your 2014 NanoDays application for a physical kit with a whole range of new and favorite activities, including training materials to bring nanoscale science, engineering, and technology to your institution and community. NanoDays participants will have the opportunity to explore capillary action and non-Newtonian fluids, investigate new nano products and materials, and imagine what society might be like if we all wore invisibility cloaks! Other activities include using electricity to coat a nickel coin in copper and a program about Robots & People. Take advantage of all these activities by incorporating the hands-on experience into year-round programs!

→ Online Brown-Bag ConversationsBrown-bag conversations help to foster dialogue among NISE Net community members, to share lessons learned, and discuss new ideas. The final brown-bag (Nano in Food) for 2013 will take place on November 13, 2013:

Did you miss a previous brown-bag or are you interested in upcoming conversations? Check out the NISE Net brown-bag schedule and archives for further details. Upcoming brown-bags in 2014 will includea variety of NanoDays-related themes such as What's Coming in Your 2014 NanoDays Kit, Hosting a Billingual NanoDays, and The Science Behind NanoDays, just to name a few.

New in the Catalog

→ As a way to engage partners, the NISE Network hosted a group of invitation-only regional meetings across the U.S. between September and October. The regional meetings provided an opportunity to increase the capacity of partners to engage the public in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, allowed partners to share experiences using NISE Net products, and fostered networking opportunities among partners. If you're interested in learning about what items were discussed at the regional meetings, meeting slides including partner presentations are available for viewing at http://nisenet.org/community/events/other/regional_meetings_2013.

Conferences and Meetings

→ A Nano-Infused 2013 ASTC ConferenceThe 2013 Association of Science - Technology Centers (ASTC) Conference was held October 19-22, 2013 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and for the first time was collaboratively hosted by three local science centers and museums: Explora, National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, and New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Don't forget the session proposal deadline for the 2014 ASTC is November 15 (call for proposals).

Thank you to all the NISE Network partners who joined us at the conference or presented about your NISE Net work! The NISE Net community was involved in many aspects of conference activities, which included a large number of nano-infused sessions and discussions. With the NISE Network exhibition booth as a central stop for many community partners, regional hub leaders were able to shake hands and reach out to conference attendees who were new to nanoscience activities. Additionally, NISE Net also organized a pre-conference Team-Based Inquiry (TBI) workshop, hosted a community happy hour, and participated in this year’s Science in the Park, which attracted local students to learn about science through fun hands-on activities. A great way to celebrate another ASTC Conference was with the annual partner breakfast where Larry Bell, from the Museum of Science, Boston, presented to over 60 community members providing a year in review and a look into the future.

Check out this fun video [view here] from ASTC’s Live Demonstration Hour where Stephanie Long, Science Museum of Minnesota, presented a shortened version of "Would You Buy That?!" The full program can be downloaded from the NISE Net catalog at http://nisenet.org/catalog/programs/would_you_buy.

→ Upcoming Events
If you're planning to present at a conference on NISE Net-related projects and want to make the community aware of these activities, please notify Kayla Berry at kberry@mos.org. Upcoming meetings and conferences that include NISE Network participation are indicated with an asterisk.

A Change in Season and Staff Within the NISE Network: New Network Coordinator
Please welcome the new author of the Nano Bite newsletter and NISE Net Coordinator, Kayla Berry! Kayla's background is in earth sciences, and worked previously as the communications and outreach and project coordinator with a university consortium, which has primed her for her role within the NISE Net community. This is her first formal introduction to nano-science and is extremely "excited"! Please send work, haikus, or interesting news items to propose for the newsletter to kberry@mos.org.

We're also sadly saying goodbye to our past Nano Bite author, Eli Bossin, who has moved to a new position with the Visitor Studies Association. Congratulations, Eli!

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